Hellhounds
Hellhounds (C''anis tartarus infernalis'') are a fictional species of animals present in the Sunflower-verse, existing both in the Present Seiyuverse and in the Alternative Universe One. Early Days - Before the Plague Native from the Sunflower-verse's version of Hel, Hellhounds had all the time in the world to develop themselves peacefully and to become the most terrible predators roaming the land. Originally similar to regular canines, or to dogs even, living in the volcanic and toxic environment that is Helheim had them grow into small monsters with unrivaled power. Coupled to their massively hard ram-like horns and to their tail spike filled with the deadliest of poisons, Hellhounds arbor a coal colored mantle of fireproof fur, with a body so tough, that they can sustain unthinkable amounts of damage before coming to actual physical harm, even from modern standards. Furthermore, they possess eyes that are able to see in the middle of the darkest of nights, and that allow them to glance at the soul of any living being nearby. Despite that, it is to be noted that they are mostly colorblind, and have a tendency to become nearsighted at an early age, yet still process many more images per second than humans. While they also live longer than most, and approximately twice longer than the average human, they die of old age normally. Hellhounds are hermaphrodites, and way unlike dogs, lay fertilized eggs that they ferociously protect until they hatch. Finally last but not least, they are capable of breathing a unique kind of blue fire, one that only extinguishes whenever what it was burning has entirely cremated, and in the case of living things, when their soul has departed. Present before most modern civilizations and cultures, Hellhounds eventually left Helheim to disperse all over the world, displaying a much higher intellect than that of any other animal. They took a liking to humans when they first ran into each other, deciding on studying them to slowly evolve by their side, yet without ever showing themselves too much. Because of their natural superiority over the world surrounding them, they started being seen as creatures of evil and bad omen no matter where they went, wrongfully preventing them from properly integrating societies as they evolved, and that despite their intelligence and fantastic ability to communicate with others. Post-Plague / Current Era Like many other animal species, Hellhounds ended up being afflicted by the Seraphic Plague, unable to predict it or to protect themselves from it. Exactly like humans, most of the affected individuals did not survive the process, and most of the species ended up being wiped out, resulting in very few of them surviving. Following that and their newfound anthropomorphism, things eventually came to the point where they became civilized enough to be 'accepted' by others, but would still be monitored by local governments and special institutions. Deriving from that came generations of Hellhounds living like social outcasts, usually found enjoying themselves in rave parties or in bars, taking profit from their strong build to drink, smoke, and hit illicit drugs endlessly. While most people secretly believe Hellhounds have a tendency to partake into illegal activities using their strength to get by, the reality is completely otherwise. Most of them struggle to find a job, even though technically all of them have the capacity to get the best there is. This happens because Mafia, or anyone tied to nasty business, do refuse to deal with them firsthand. After all, should a Hellhound kill a certain number of people and go berserk, that it would become a Sanghound, unable to get itself to go back to normal. In such a state, a Sanghound is an individual whose ability to reason has fully disappeared, and whose body has become nothing but an articulated puppet meant to murder. Unstoppable as ever, blood will flow from their tear ducts to indicate the change that took place, leaving permanent marks on their faces while the eyes blank out. Unfortunately, there is no reasoning a Sanghound: These do not talk or act on any kind of logical thinking. They do not possess any feelings, and are just doomed to wander and kill until their body wholly stops moving, for a reason or another. After all, in this state, they will stop feeding and doing just about anything normal individuals do to live, and will simply die once their body has decayed enough. This is a curse known by all people who bothered looking into what they are, and by all Hellhounds, as it is nothing else but their greatest fear. Category:Lore